


Devout

by Miaou Jones (miaoujones)



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dogboy, Finding Love Where You Least Expect It, Gen, Happy Ending, brief mentions of character deaths, brief mentions of theoretical animal torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 07:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7499967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miaoujones/pseuds/Miaou%20Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <span class="small">Inspired, of course, by the true story of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko">Hachiko</a>. Written for SASO 2016, bonus round 4, for this prompt: "Lonely little love dog  / that no one knows the name of / I know why you cry out / desperate and devout" – TV on the Radio, “Love Dog”.</span>
</p></blockquote>





	Devout

The train station is by the water, a stone's throw from the pier, which is one of the reasons Sousuke chose this town when he decided to move. He gazes out towards the horizon, the sun a pale shimmer through the marine layer, and takes a deep breath of the salted air before he turns and walks over to the station for the first time.

As he approaches the steps, he sees someone sitting on them, looking out to sea as he's just been doing. When he gets closer, he realizes the someone is not a person: it's a lovedog, creatures genetically engineered from dog and human DNA and sold as companions. Sousuke never had one but they were all the rage years ago. When the fad started burning out, it wasn't unusual to see abandoned lovedogs on the streets before they got rounded up and taken to shelters.

This one doesn't seem to be a stray, though; he must have an owner who never tired of him. Sousuke smiles as he approaches. The lovedog remains fixed on the ocean, only looking up at him as Sousuke slows. When their eyes meet, Sousuke stops. "Hi there, fella." The lovedog's tail wags with cautious optimism, then speeds up as Sousuke smiles again. "You're a good looking boy. What's your name?" Most lovedogs have the capacity for human speech, Sousuke remembers, though many owners engaged in the practice of having their dog's vocal cords cut until activists successfully lobbied to have it made illegal.

In any case he doesn't see any scars on this one's throat, so that must not be the reason for his wordlessness. Sousuke tries petting him to see how he responds; when the lovedog inclines into the touch, Sousuke sits down next to him. He looks out over the water, feeling calmer than he's felt for some time, sure in his decision to move here. He knows it's an effect of petting the lovedog: different breeds were designed to secrete different pheromones, and Sousuke can guess this kind was designed to soothe and calm.

The lovedog doesn't have a collar but there's a black ribbon around his neck with a bright green metal tag and Sousuke reaches for it, slowly so as not to startle the lovedog. He tilts the tag so he can read it, says it aloud: "Makoto." The lovedog's tail thumps against the step and Sousuke grins as he looks up, letting the tag drop back against the lovedog's chest. His eyes are bright, his hair silky, and when he smiles now it looks like he has all of his teeth. He can't be a stray; he must belong to someone who works at the station.

Just as Sousuke is thinking that, an elderly woman comes out of the station with a bento box. She smiles when she sees Sousuke with the lovedog. "Ah, Mako-chan, have you made a new friend?" The lovedog's tail swishes back and forth. The old woman smiles more and offers out the bento, which the lovedog accepts with a slight bow of his head.

"Is he yours?" Sousuke asks, giving the lovedog an affectionate pat on the head as he stands up.

The old woman shakes her head and motions for Sousuke to come with her. They stop in the arched entryway to the station. "His owners crewed on the same ship. They went to sea and were lost in a storm," the old woman tells Sousuke, who turns to look at Makoto unwrapping the bento and digging in, tail wagging to himself. "Many of us in town have tried to explain it to him, but without the bodies he can't seem to understand, let alone accept it... he's been waiting for them for three years, and if he could live long enough he'd probably wait three hundred more."

Sousuke watches Makoto for another moment before he turns to the old woman, thanks her for the information and wishes her a good day, and goes to catch his train. Even though he chose this town for the scenic route it would take him to work, Sousuke hardly sees anything as he looks out the window.

Makoto is there on the steps when Sousuke returns from the city. His ears perk up as Sousuke comes out of the station, and Sousuke stops to sit with him awhile, scratching him behind the ears and watching the last light of the day dissipate over the water.

The next day he oversleeps. As he's dashing through the station after pausing to pat Makoto good morning, the old woman calls after him, "He likes chocolate!"

So that evening when Sousuke returns from the city, he brings a store-bought box of chocolates with him. He gives the box to Makoto, whose tail starts wagging when Sousuke says, "For you." Makoto opens the box and looks it over before selecting a milk chocolate piece. He offers the box to Sousuke, who declines with a raised palm and a shake of his head. "These are just for you; I don't really care for chocolate." Makoto's ears droop as he turns his head. "But," Sousuke says, "since it's you offering, I believe I'll try this one," and reaches for a random piece that turns out to be dark chocolate with a sea salt caramel filling. It's actually not bad. As he looks at Makoto's smile, Sousuke reflects that he didn't know lovedogs could blush, but it makes sense since so many of their emotive expressions are human.

Spending time with Makoto every morning on his way to the city and every evening coming back from it becomes part of Sousuke's routine. One Sunday morning as he's doing nothing in his apartment, he gets an idea and goes down to the station. As expected, Makoto is there on the steps even on the weekend. "Makoto," Sousuke says, not sitting down this time, "how would you like to go out on the pier with me?" Dogs—actual canine and lovedog alike—are not allowed on the pier unaccompanied, the signs say in no uncertain terms. But it has occurred to Sousuke that Makoto might like to get closer to the water, and he could if Sousuke took him.

Makoto's tail is wagging so hard, his whole body is wriggling with it. Sousuke laughs. "Come on, then!" They go out to the very end and sit with their legs dangling over the edge. Makoto's tail wags non-stop for an hour, until Sousuke starts stroking his head and back, and the wagging slows to a calm halt; Sousuke feels calm too.

Weeks turn to months until it's going on a year since Sousuke moved to town and met Makoto. He's asked around, heard a lot of stories about Makoto, stories from both before and after his owners' ship went down in the storm. The townspeople are convinced Makoto will spend the rest of his life sitting on the station steps waiting for the return of someone who will never come back, and after what he's observed Sousuke doesn't think they're wrong. The townspeople are all sad when they tell Sousuke they think Makoto will never leave the steps, and Sousuke doesn't feel happy either.

One evening when he comes back from the city, he sits on the steps with Makoto longer than usual. He has an idea—he's had it for a while but he hasn't been sure of it. He's still not sure of it, but he's decided he has to try. He wants the calmness that touching Makoto always brings him, but that wouldn't be fair this time, so instead he takes a deep breath. "I've heard about your owners."

Makoto turns to him quickly, ears up; even in the dusk, his eyes seem to shine. Sousuke's resolve falters and he turns to face the ocean to find it again. "They went out four years ago and they haven't come back, right?" In his peripheral vision, he sees Makoto nod.

Sousuke swallows, then pushes on because if he pauses another moment, he won't go on. "They're not coming back, Makoto." He turns to find Makoto's head cocked, looking at him and listening without comprehension. "The sea has them," Sousuke tries. "It took them beneath the surface, and it's not giving them back."

Makoto's ears droop, limp as they hang down. The shine that was there moments ago is gone from his eyes. Eyes that are fixed on Sousuke. A lump forms in Sousuke's throat. He can't remember why he thought this was a good idea, doesn't know why he thought he should or even could do it.

As much as he wants to look away from Makoto's gaze, he can't; Makoto doesn't deserve that. Sousuke looks deeper into Makoto's eyes… and hears himself say, "The ocean loves them too much. It wants to keep them with it forever."

Ears pricking up, Makoto cocks his head the other way. Sousuke nods, latching onto the idea. "The ocean took them under and changed them into sea creatures, so they could live in its waters." He starts to reach into his back pocket for his phone, thinking to find a picture of a merman to show Makoto.

"Dolphin!"

It's the first word Makoto has spoken in the time Sousuke has known him. For a moment he can't do anything but stare at Makoto, whose smile is threatening to take over his face. "Dolphin," Makoto repeats, "and shark!"

Sousuke stops reaching for his phone. There's a story here, one he doesn't know, one the townspeople don't know either. This is story between Makoto and his owners.

And Makoto is sharing it, just a little of it, with him.

Sousuke takes a breath, brushes his hand over his eyes. "Yes, that's right: the ocean turned them into a dolphin and a shark."

Body wriggling with the enthusiasm of his wagging tail, Makoto looks at him. Looks at him and smiles and smiles, and Sousuke can only smile back. Wouldn't do anything else, even if he could.

"Makoto," Sousuke says, slowly, taking his time with the words and the feelings behind them, "would you like to come to my home tonight?"

Still smiling, Makoto nods.

Makoto still goes to the station every morning, sits on the steps and gazes out to sea, peaceful and smiling. Every evening when Sousuke comes back from the city, Makoto is there on the steps waiting for him, and they go home together.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired, of course, by the true story of [Hachiko](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko). Written for SASO 2016, bonus round 4, for this prompt: "Lonely little love dog / that no one knows the name of / I know why you cry out / desperate and devout" – TV on the Radio, “Love Dog”.


End file.
